This is a remake of the current sticky; I found it extremely helpful to see other peoples results to gauge my chances at various schools. Of course, there are so many subjective factors (and exceptions), but admissions committees are pretty consistent with the overall profiles they want to admit as transfers. Below is the template.
Current School:
Entering as (Soph/Jr):
Major:
High School GPA:
SAT/ACT Scores:
SAT II Scores:
College GPA:
Transferable GPA (if applicable):
Major GPA:
IGETC:
TAG/TAP:
Hooks:
US/Intl:
ECs:
Applied to:
Accepted:
Rejected:
Waitlisted:
Attending:
Comments:
Current School: US News Top 25
Entering as (Soph/Jr): Jr
Major: Math/Econ
High School GPA: 3.9/4.0
SAT/ACT Scores: 2280
SAT II Scores: Math IIC: 800 USH: 750
College GPA: 3.96
Transferable GPA (if applicable): N/A
Major GPA: 3.9
IGETC: N/A
TAG/TAP: N/A
Hooks: N/A
US/Intl: US
ECs: Nothing extraordinary, strong involvement at current school
Applied to: Ivies (Minus Cornell/Princeton), Chicago, Northwestern, JHU, Stanford, Swarthmore, Williams
Accepted: Dartmouth, Penn, JHU, Northwestern
Rejected: Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, Brown, Swarthmore
Waitlisted: None
Attending: Penn!
Comments: HYS are generally reaches for anyone who isn’t a recruited athlete (~1% acceptance rates). Columbia and Chicago are tougher to transfer into as juniors because their core requirements are difficult to finish in two years. As fit is extremely important (since transfer classes are so small), essays definitely carry a lot of weight in the process. I wrote all of my essays in a period of 24 hours; if you have time to invest to writing and rewriting drafts, it may be worth it (if your current course work allows). Apply broadly (if you really want to leave) and be specific in your essays (professors and their work/class offerings/etc).
In order of importance:
- College GPA, Reason for Transferring
- Essays, Recs, Level of Coursework
- ECs, Standardized Tests (I say this with reservation, but for the top schools, anything <1800/27 will probably be a red flag as the average student at these schools could probably score above that range without any prep/against most odds)
Current School: UW
Entering as (Soph/Jr): Soph
Major: CS
High School GPA: Straight A’s school didn’t do GPA
SAT/ACT Scores: ACT-33
SAT II Scores: Math 2- 800, Physics-800
College GPA: 3.88(with all required college math done within first 2 quarters, A- in English, A in all others CSE, Math, Chem)
Transferable GPA (if applicable):NA
Major GPA:NA
IGETC: No
TAG/TAP: No
Hooks: None
US/Intl: Intl applying from a US uni
ECs: I would rate them 9/10, anyone interested can see my past posts
Applied to: Duke, Harvard, Carnegie, Penn,
Accepted: none
Rejected: all
Waitlisted: none
Attending: UW
Comments: My essay writing skills are bad, really bad also I don’t understand why essay writing is an important skill at all in a field like CS where I clearly would never need to write up anything similar. Just seems retarded to me that people get admitted for their essays, who cares if you can write down your passion for CS if you cannot write a good piece of code. Gonna stick with UW. I might come across salty(sour grapes) and it is kind of true so no need to point it out, I said what I said and would not like a discussion on the topic.
Current college: Small state school
Entering as (soph/jr): Soph
Major: Bio-Chem
High School GPA: 4.2 W
SAT/ACT Scores: 32
SAT II Scores: PHYS 740 MAT2 790
College GPA: 4.0
Transferable GPA (if applicable):-
Major GPA:-
IGETC:-
TAG/TAP:
Hooks: B.S/M.D Program
US/Intl:
ECs: VP Philosophy Club, Research
Applied to: MIT, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Columbia, Brown, Yale, Penn, Stanford, Swarthmore, Harvard, Berkeley
Accepted: Swarthmore, Georgetown, Penn, Brown
Rejected: MIT, Dartmouth,Columbia, Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley
Waitlisted: Yale
Attending:Undecided
Comments: I reapplied to a lot of schools and didn’t get into a few that I really wanted to get into. But I got into great schools. Last year I was really depressed that I was going to the school I was going to and now I will be challenged no matter where I go. Don’t be scared to apply and always consider transferring if you are not happy.
Current School: The University of Memphis
Entering as (Soph/Jr): Soph
Major: Advertising (which translates to a different name depending on the schooll)
High School GPA: 3.6 UW, 4.2 W
SAT/ACT Scores: 31
SAT II Scores:
College GPA: 4.0
Transferable GPA (if applicable):
Major GPA:
IGETC:
TAG/TAP:
Hooks: Black, strong writer
US/Intl:
ECs: NAACP, executive board member. Honors Student Council, freshman rep. I worked/volunteered as a bookstore clerk every weekend, was in a service club, and tutored students in English.
Applied to: Boston College, Northwestern University (rejected as a first year applicant), the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Boston University (accepted as a first year applicant).
Accepted: All
Rejected: None
Waitlisted: None
Attending: Most likely UNC.
Comments: First of all, God is good. I’m so glad I made it through this. To me, the transfer application process is more stressful than the freshman one just because you’re really in it on your own and you have significantly less free time. Prepare for that! 9 times out of 10, your freshman year essays do not apply. At this stage in the game, colleges are more interested in hearing your professional plans, not cute little anecdotes. It can be difficult to balance professionalism and personality in your essays, but it gets easier. Research, start early, and join the transfer student threads on here.